Learning to Use Your Time Wisely

Time is the one thing in business that isn’t infinite. Other things you can borrow, find, or make yourself, but time is the most important thing for you to manage well. You can ask employees to work overtime, but you pay for it in the end – especially if your employees become burned out.

To help you solve this dilemma, here are a couple of steps to think about.

Figure Out How Much Time You Actually Have

Do you have eight hours in a day, or six? Even a few minutes can make the difference between a finished project and one that has to be done tomorrow and considered late. Of course, the amount of time you have will vary by week and sometimes day by day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t at least figure out a rough outline of how much time you do have. Don’t forget to include lunch breaks (they’re required by law in most states).

Prioritize Your List of Projects

Write down your projects. Go through the list and ask the same question for every single one: “how does this project benefit my company?” For example, if you’re working on a website for another company, making sure you get it out on time is more important than updating the screens on your office computers. Having a well-defined and prioritized project list will help your employees stay on the right track.

Fit All Necessary Projects into Allotted Time

This step can be a little tricky, especially if you’re behind on work for any reason. Fitting everything into its set-aside block of time can be almost impossible. Sometimes this step requires negotiation with employees and clients. Once you have the ball rolling and are caught up on all of the things that needed to be done, maintain your rhythm. Remember to allow a little extra time for each project in case of delays or unexpected disasters.

Remember, using your time wisely can make all the difference between a successful business and one that fails before it can really blossom. Take the time to figure out what using your time wisely means to you and you’ll begin to see positive changes.